Three echo mates, marred by a dual in the 3rd variation. Adding a black pawn on c6 would allow getting rid of the dual 3.f2-f4+ and keeping only the echo mate with 3...f6-f5 4.Qe4-e7#. There would then be a side variation 1...Kg5-f5 2.Qh1-e4+ Kf5-g5 3.Qe4-f4+ Kg5-h5 4.Qf4xh4#.

Steven Dowd is known by American chess readers for his columns in Chess Life or on ChessCafe.com. He is also a chess composer and his favourite genres are helpmates and selfmates, but he also composes direct mates and endgame studies. He has composed many problems in collaboration with Mirko Degenkolbe or Marko Ilijoki.